ABA Therapy
ABA therapy, or applied behavioral analysis therapy, is an approach to better understanding Behavior and modifying that behavior. For the treatment of autism, ABA therapy is a behavioral therapy that uses evidence-based practices to promote new skills and behaviors.
For children with autism, the most common behaviors that are addressed with ABA therapy include:
- Play skills
- Problem solving
- Challenging behaviors
- Self-help skills
- Activities of daily living
- Occupational skills
- Communication skills
- Vocational skills
- Social behavior
- Attention
- Social interactions
ABA therapy can be used in many environments when performed as a therapy for autism, practiced at home or in a community setting, or at our state-of-the-art therapy center.
Types of ABA Therapy
In its modern application, there are two main types of ABA therapy: comprehensive and focused. The key difference between them is the amount of time that is applied. Within both of these, however, there are specialized delivery models and different settings.
Core Program Structures
Comprehensive ABA therapy is exactly what the name suggests, much more comprehensive. This is typically reserved for an early intervention setting, with young children, often between 30 and 40 hours per week. For young children, under the age of five, for example, this can address a wide range of developmental areas, including social skills, life skills, and communication.
As children get older or those whose circumstances might dictate it, focused ABA can hone in on a specific set of skills or behaviors. This is designed to fill the gaps in a skill deficit, like reducing aggression, toilet training, or building social initiations. This is generally used for school-aged children and teenagers, involving an average of 10 to 20 hours per week.
Specialized Delivery Models
Within these two main structures, there are several specialized delivery models, and the delivery model that we employ will be based on individual needs and circumstances.
Some of the main models include:
- Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBI)
- Natural Environment Teaching (NET)
- Pivotal Response Training (PRT)
- Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)
- Discrete Trial Training (DTT)
- Verbal Behavior Therapy (VBT)
Natural environment teaching (NET) is a very common type of ABA therapy that focuses on teaching children the skills they need in a real-life context, like on the playground or at home. The idea behind this type of teaching is to make sure that children are able to develop skills that they can use outside of things like a sensory gym or other controlled environments.
This is often something employed within in-home ABA therapy.
Other delivery models include the discrete trial training model, or DTT, which is a more highly structured, one-on-one method that introduces children to new concepts in a safe, controlled setting. With this, something like washing hands might be broken down into small, repeatable steps like turning on the faucet, lathering the hands, rinsing the hands, and drying the hands.
With ABA therapy techniques, our clinicians could break these steps down in a repeatable fashion so that they are not as overwhelming and are much easier to solidify.
Different Types of ABA Therapy Settings
At Caper ABA Services, we offer in-home ABA therapy and In-center ABA therapy. While these are two subcategories or “types” of ABA therapy, their application methods are very similar.
As their respective names suggest, in-home therapy is when we send a clinician to your home, and there they work with your child to handle skill-building applicable to daily routines like making or eating meals, getting dressed in the morning, or having a good sleep routine.
At our state-of-the-art therapy center, we have sensory gyms as well as many other spaces conducive to individual and social group learning, providing a safe and supportive alternative environment in which children can build necessary skills.
What works best for each family will differ based on the child’s needs.
Find Help
ABA therapy is one of the most effective and widely used treatment options to help children with autism overcome challenging behaviors and learn to replace them with improved play skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, daily living skills, and social skills.
There are two main types, though: comprehensive and focused. Within these two types of ABA therapy, there are also many specialized delivery models, and of course, the therapeutic, evidence-based practices can be applied to things like speech therapy and occupational therapy.
When you reach out to our team, we can start your initial assessment to determine which of these two types might be the best resource for your child and your family.
At Caper ABA Services, we can help you better decide which types of ABA therapy are best. Call today at (847) 996-9832.
FAQ
What is the Purpose of ABA Therapy?
ABA therapy is designed to increase helpful behaviors and decrease harmful behaviors. There are different types of ABA therapies available depending on needs, but each type focuses on things like building daily living activities like getting dressed or grooming oneself, building social skills, and improving communication. All three of these areas are the cornerstones for fostering Independence as children prepare for things like school, friendships, and adulthood.
How Much is ABA Therapy?
ABA therapy can be substantial, with typical hourly rates upwards of $150, which means that the cost is based on the hours or types of ABA therapy that your family uses. Comprehensive ABA therapy can be a full-time commitment for children up to 40 hours per week, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, with focused ABA therapy costing around $65,000 per year on average.
However, most families will simply pay an out-of-pocket maximum with insurance, after which insurance can be applied to many of the remaining costs. There are also opportunities for financial assistance from our facility.
Does My Insurance Cover Different Types of ABA Therapy?
Each insurance plan is different, but all 50 states have mandates that require private health insurance to cover ABA therapy. Medicaid also covers ABA therapy in most states for all eligible individuals. Families will need to verify whether they have a self-funded plan and what level of coverage may be possible with each provider. At Caper ABA Services, we have financial assistance and Medicaid navigation to make sure that everyone gets the help they need, regardless of income level.
How Many Hours of ABA Therapy Is Best?
Given the different types of ABA therapy, choosing the right number of hours is a highly individualized process, and it should be based on the child’s individual needs. Those needs may change from time to time, with things like early intensive behavioral interventions requiring upwards of 40 hours per week, followed by focused interventions, which may only need 20 hours per week.
When you meet with our team, we will help determine which type of ABA therapy would be well-suited after a comprehensive assessment, and in the case of things like a focused intervention, which specific skill deficits will be addressed during those sessions.
How Long is ABA Therapy?
Individual sessions for most ABA therapy will typically last between two and five hours, but this is highly contingent upon the needs of each child and the type of ABA therapy that is being used, whether it’s more comprehensive or focused.